German composer Aribert Reimann began devising Lear in 1936 at the request of baritone Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau. However, the project was not consolidated until 10 years later when Reimann received a commission from the Munich Staatsoper. The libretto by Claus H. Henneberg is based on Shakespeare's King Lear, which also inspired composers like Berlioz, Verdi and Debussy. Lear premiered in Munich in 1978 with Fischer-Dieskau, Julia Varady and Helga Dernesch leading the cast.
This opera in two acts take place in Scotland during the Middle Ages and recounts the descent into madness of King Lear after abdicating and dividing his kingdom among his three daughters, Cornelia, Goneril and Regan.